9 hours ago
World on Edge: The Houthis, Saudis and War and Trade in the Middle East
At a time of tinder-box peace in the Middle East, the 20,000+ strong Iran-backed Houthis based in Yemen threaten to disrupt shipping through the Red Sea and launch drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s vital east-west oil pipeline. A blockade of the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait into the Red Sea would take the global oil trade crisis to a whole new level, yet with Houthi involvement, could happen as easily as Iran managed to close the Gulf of Hormuz. in this week’s edition of Impact!, we seek to understand who the Houthis are, what they want, and why they have such a critical role to play in the complex powerplay in the Middle East.
We also explore why maintaining the Saudi-Iranian peace accord agreed in 2023 remains vital for peace in the region, as relations between these two major rivals have been stretched to near breaking point, and understand why a third front in Iran’s fight-back to the US and Israel could open up if it and its Houthi allies escalate attacks on Omani and UAE ports that face south onto the Gulf of Oman.
As always, we see where our intentions and prayers may be needed at this very dangerous time of possible huge global consequence. Have your map ready, as this will make clear why instability and conflict in this region has potential to send the world into a major crisis, the likes of which haven’t been seen for decades.
Intentions and prayers start at 22 minutes 44 seconds.
Suggested Intention Focus for this week
This week, as we reflect on the perilous situation in and around Yemen as the Houthis threaten to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea, target the vital Saudi east-west oil pipeline, and inflame relations with Saudi Arabia, we suggest holding as our main intention:
We will that wisdom will prevail in the White House, Tehran, Riyadh, Jerusalem and among the Houthi leadership to seek de-escalation in the complex geopolitical quagmire in which they are embroiled.
Please join us in holding this.
Chapter markers:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:59 Who Are the Houthis?
00:06:19 Yemen and Maritime Geography
00:08:36 Yemen’s Civil War
00:10:04 Gaza War Fallout
00:10:56 Iran’s Houthi Link
00:13:13 Saudi-Iran Tensions
00:14:52 Global Trade Shock
00:17:42 Wider Regional Stakes
00:19:57 Is Peace Possible?
00:22:44 Intentions and Prayers
Sources referenced in this episode:
https://srv1.worldometers.info/world-population/yemen-population/
https://houseofsaud.com/petroline-full-capacity-yanbu-cannot-load/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crl4gxgkkylo
https://www.focus-economics.com/blog/the-poorest-countries-in-the-world/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKCjrYDMXek
https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis
https://www.belfercenter.org/research-analysis/saudi-arabia-and-iran-shadows-regional-war
https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-arabia-covertly-launched-strikes-on-iran-during-war-sources-say/
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/21/politics/us-military-missile-stockpile
https://bbc.com/news/articles/ce8j6g3v3r4o
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-lawmakers-set-vote-war-powers-iran-conflict-widens-2026-03-04/
https://dpublication.com/journal/JARSS/article/download/519/348 https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10626168/
https://news.northeastern.edu/2026/07/21/houthi-blockade-bab-el-mandeb-strait/
https://www.ijsrp.org/research-paper-0925.php?rp=P16513983
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/israel-restart-war-iran/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-904051
https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/07/israels-general-election-will-be-no-other
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5993530-reuters-iran-war-support-survey/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/22/trump-nuclear-agreement-saudi-arabia
Join us in person for intention holding:
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/events-1 Labyrinth Activist Network Zoom calls
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj Daily intention holding with Clive on Insight Timer.
Our websites:
www.heartfulimpact.com/ Our show website.
https://globalhealingresponse.com/ Global Healing Response ~ Offers a wealth of prayers, suggested practices and prompts in response to environmental catastrophe, conflict, and other world events.
https://www.legacylabyrinthproject.org/ Legacy Labyrinth Project ~ Creating global energetic connections through the labyrinth; inspiring active intention sending using the labyrinth via labyrinth activism.
https://www.clivejohnsonministry.com/ Clive Johnson Ministry ~ Events and offerings aimed at building beloved community, including weekly energy holding vigils and Power of Eight group.
https://insighttimer.com/cliverj ~ Daily intention holding.
Impact! Is presented by Ellen Bintz and Clive Johnson. It is produced by Impact Productions.
Our show content is hosted by Podbean and available from all major podcast platforms.
Our theme music is by Chris Collins. indiemusicbox.com.
Our logo artwork is by AltoClassic (Getty Images/istock).
Contact us via Facebook Messenger from the Impact! Facebook group, or using any of the contact methods mentioned on our websites.
Impact! www.heartfulimpact.com.
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